First, are you looking for speakers to fit into a surround system or TV setup? Are you hoping to get a full, rich response for your record or lossless music collection? Or are you a studio producer who wants balanced, professional monitors? All of these questions are crucial for picking your set of speakers. In this article, you’ll find a good spread of options, from the reasonably priced ELAC B6.2s or the impressively full-featured Sonos Playbar. But there’s quite a range of options, so pay close attention to features—powered or unpowered, stereo or not, inclusive of a subwoofer, etc. Read on for a few of our favorites in a variety of budgets. The nominal impedance of 6 ohms means that, when paired with the right amp, you’ll get about 120W of RMS output. Even the cabinets, which have been braced internally to limit unwanted resonance, give you a solid foundation. All of this amounts to an even sonic response that will go nicely in a standard stereo setup or alongside your TV. In short, you won’t get a ton of nuance and the speakers look a little lackluster, but everything else is excellent. Wattage: 120 | Driver Size: 6.5-inch woofers, 1-inch tweeters | Frequency Response: 44Hz–35kHz | Powered: No | Wireless Connectivity: No Rather than some speaker manufacturers that try to prop up the drivers and ignore the cabinets, Q Acoustics leans into it with a 7.9 x 12.8 x 13-inch enclosure with rigid point-to-point bracing that accentuates the low end of the frequency range while clarifying the stereo image. The actual, on-paper coverage is only about 46Hz to 30kHz, but the effective feeling is a really full, powerful bass response. And then there’s the look of it—the curved edges and single-piece aesthetic of the cabinet and the white outlines on the exposed drivers feel a lot more like a professional studio monitor than a bookshelf speaker. And, while $400 isn’t exactly the most affordable price point, it isn’t a bad get when you factor in the value of the sound quality. Wattage: 50 to 145 | Driver Size: 6.5-inch woofers, 0.9-inch tweeters | Frequency Response: 46Hz–30kHz | Powered: No | Wireless Connectivity: No In terms of construction, these speakers feature an 8-inch cone (important for powerful bass response) and a 1-inch dome tweeter that is tuned nicely to control the higher end. These are also powered speakers, meaning you won’t need a dedicated amp. With that, they offer about 120W total, with a frequency response of 38Hz to 30kHz. The cabinet is made of a rigid, frequency-rejecting MDF, making for a tuned, forward-facing, focused sound. There are also a couple of controls for room focusing and high frequency softening on the back to tune your speaker for your space. At about $350 for each speaker ($700 for the pair), they are fairly expensive, but for the tried-and-true history and the impressive performance of the HS8, you really can’t go wrong. Wattage: 120 | Driver Size: 8-inch woofers, 1-inch tweeters | Frequency Response: 38Hz–30kHz | Powered: Yes | Wireless Connectivity: No Each speaker features a 13-millimeter silk dome tweeter, a 4-inch full-range bass driver, a 21W total power output and a frequency response range between 75Hz and 18kHz. You’ve also got two aux inputs, making it easy to connect two devices at a time, such as headphones. A remote control is also included. While you shouldn’t expect the same sound as you get from a higher-end speaker, especially when it comes to bass, the R1280T still deliver a strong performance. They may leave your friends thinking you paid more for your speakers than you actually did. Wattage: 21W per channel | Driver Size: 4-inch woofers, 0.5-inch tweeters | Frequency Response: 75Hz–18kHz | Powered: Yes | Wireless Connectivity: No The T50 tower speaker is a great option if you have the space because it comes with three 6.5-inch woofers—one dedicated to the main part of the spectrum, with two meant to support the bass end. There’s also a 1-inch tweeter to offer a bit of sparkle. This makes these tower speakers great for TV and movies, especially when put together in a stereo pair. You’ll get coverage spanning 38Hz to 24kHz, plenty on both ends to support rumbling lows and crisp highs. While the handling for each speaker is set to about 100W total, pushing it that hard might yield some roughness around the edges. But for only about $150, this is a great way to start a home theater system. Wattage: 100 | Driver Size: Three 6.5-inch woofers, 1-inch tweeters | Frequency Response: 38Hz–24kHz | Powered: No | Wireless Connectivity: No The 8-inch drivers provide a lot of power across the dynamic spectrum, which is important because you normally don’t pair in-wall speakers with dedicated subwoofers. The grill covering is surrounded by a nice rubber seal, which provides two things—decent sound response that doesn’t transfer to the solid wall, and decent protection from moisture. You can even take these aluminum grills and paint them to match your specific color scheme. Because the speakers are designed with Polk’s tried-and-true audio processing, they will match any other Polk speakers in your system. This makes them a nice choice for surround sound units or a whole-home audio system. Wattage: 100 | Driver Size: 8-inch woofers, 1-inch tweeters | Frequency Response: 50Hz–20kHz | Powered: No | Wireless Connectivity: No The name of the game with this system is options. You can connect the speaker via Wi-Fi or Ethernet for stable connection and seamless integration with your in-home sound system. Or you can opt for the Bluetooth connectivity for a more point-to-point means of playing music. The Wi-Fi connectivity allows you to transmit your lossless audio files, which is a great deal better than the compression-based artifacts inherent with Bluetooth compression. The sound quality here is also impressive, even though the drivers are only 4 inches. KEF calls these speaker cones “Unit-Q” drivers, which it touts as offering 160 degrees of sound coverage. Paired with the heat sink on the enclosures, you can push these speakers pretty hard and get some decent volume and fullness in your space. The look is also pretty forward-facing and unique, and there are even three color options. Wattage: 70 | Driver Size: 4.5-inch woofers, 0.75-inch tweeter | Frequency Response: 49Hz–47kHz | Powered: Yes | Wireless Connectivity: Yes While the frequency responses of 60Hz to 20kHz isn’t exactly the most impressive around, the speakers’ tilt-back design and solid enclosures provide a decent amount of fullness. This is impressive considering the main speaker cones are only 4 inches, a size that usually results in a thinner, less powerful sound. There are a few connectivity options, including a 3.5mm aux input and the Bluetooth connectivity mentioned above. These powered speakers serve as a great setup for your office, plugged straight into your computer, or great for quickly hooking up wirelessly and playing some tunes at a party. The best part? At under $200, the price point is great for those who aren’t as discerning. Wattage: 15W per channel | Driver Size: 4-inch woofers, 0.75-inch tweeter | Frequency Response: 69Hz–20kHz | Powered: Yes | Wireless Connectivity: Yes There are four composite, mid-focused woofers and two suspended tweeters built into the system, as well as some ports on the front for a better sound stage. The separate dedicated subwoofer comes with a massive, down-firing 10-inch speaker to support the bottom end. Because the soundbar features an HDMI ARC input, you can use a single remote to control your whole system. The enclosure is built of a composite wood painted black, which makes for a classy yet premium look—perfect as the centerpiece of your media room or entertainment setup. And because the whole package comes in under $400, with a brand name to support its quality, the Cinema 600 really is a solid bet if you’re looking for a soundbar-and-sub combo. Wattage: Not specified | Driver Size: 3 woofers, 2 tweeters | Frequency Response: Not specified | Powered: Yes | Wireless Connectivity: No There are nine independently driven speaker cones inside the large enclosure, which provide a lot of coverage both physically and in the frequency response. This provides a really nice layer of sound that’ll work well in a home movie setup.  There’s also plenty of on-board digital signal processing, and even a room-tuning function using the Sonos app. Of course, wireless connectivity is the other key factor here. The Playbar communicates with your devices and other Sonos speakers by connecting to your Wi-Fi network. You can then use Apple AirPlay or voice commands through the Sonos app to control everything. It does come with some drawbacks—namely its price and its massively bulky size—but as far as soundbars go, you really won’t get a whole lot more in a dedicated unit than this. Wattage: Not specified | Driver Size: 9 drivers | Frequency Response: Not specified | Powered: Yes | Wireless Connectivity: Yes In the end, your mileage will vary depending on your system, but almost any speaker on this list will work for the right situation. Emily Ramirez is a tech writer who studied game design at MIT and now reviews all sorts of consumer tech, from VR headsets to tower speakers.

What to Look for When Buying Hi-Fi Speakers

Design

Hi-fi speakers can come in a few different designs. Most are bookshelf speakers. They tend to be a pair of modestly sized speakers (small enough to fit on a bookshelf or desk), and often have an exposed woofer and tweeter, though some may have a mesh or fabric covering to keep dust off. Some speakers may have amplifiers built-in, while others may require you to connect to an AV receiver. A few interesting designs include wall speakers that let you hide most of the unit inside a wall mount, as well as soundbars, that live under your TV console.

Audio Quality

A wide frequency response range that goes from the low to high end is an important aspect of hi-fi speakers. If you tend to listen to bassier music, you’ll likely want a pair of speakers with good response on the lower end, while if you want music at its cleanest (a flat frequency response) you want a pair of studio monitors. Other factors that impact audio quality include the number of woofers and tweeters, if there’s a built-in amplifier or not, and if playback is happening through wired output or Bluetooth.

Compatibility

Some speakers are powered, meaning they can function as standalone devices and plug directly into your TV without needing to go through an AV receiver. Others are passive and will need to be connected to an amp and AV receiver. Other extra features might include Ethernet and Wi-Fi connectivity and Bluetooth, to allow for playback from your phone or other devices.